While it is clear that the vaccine has been helpful in reducing the number of serious illnesses and hospitalizations due to COVID-19, experts haven’t always been able to quantify just how much the vaccine has been helping.
But now, some new federal data shows exactly how much getting vaccinated reduces the likelihood of getting COVID-19.
"We’ve known this, but it’s encouraging to see this on the population level," said Dr. David Dowdy, an epidemiologist with the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health on Tuesday’s Ask an Expert with KCBS Radio’s Holly Quan and Dan Mitchinson.
Studying population data from April to September of this year, researchers have found that people who have been vaccinated contract COVID-19 at about one-sixth the rate of those unvaccinated, and get sick enough to need hospitalization at less than 10% the rate of those who are unvaccinated.
These rates have remained consistent over time, which is especially encouraging to researchers as the population being measured is now about six to eight months out from getting fully vaccinated, and the vaccine’s effectiveness can wane, said Dowdy.
"It’s performing the way that we hoped it would," he said. "And it’s continuing to perform well, especially against serious illness."
Studies have also shown that those who are vaccinated against COVID-19 are more protected than those who’ve just contracted and recovered from the virus, he said. Those who got sick can experience a wide range of exposure to the virus and can determine the fluctuation of the body’s response. The vaccine is a precise dose that can be better measured in its effectiveness.
Certain factors still play a role in whether or not a vaccinated person can contract the virus and get seriously sick, such as age and underlying health conditions, said Dowdy. Sex can play a role too. While men are more likely to get sick, women are more likely to experience long COVID-19 symptoms. But sex is a smaller factor than others, he added.
Long COVID-19 can present itself in a variety of symptoms, including loss of smell and brain fog. But research has also shown that getting vaccinated can reduce the chance of experiencing long COVID-19, according to Dowdy.
The new data provides even more reason to get vaccinated, and the vaccines themselves are extremely safe, despite some cases of unexpected side effects. "This is one of the safest things we’ve got out there," he said.
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